Anyone else waiting for Galaxy Note 2?

I must say I am very tempted. My father ended up getting the first Galaxy Note and I played with it a bit, love the screen. On my iPhone 4S I cannot browse the web unless I use bifocals or take of my glasses and hold it really close. The Note is pretty much the only phone that allows me to browse the web without straining my eyes.

Unfortunately not due for upgrade so probably will end up selling my 4S and my Nexus 7.

ALso, my car only has an Apple interface (no audio in jack, no USB, just proprietary Apple connector, thank you Audi) so will probably dig up my ancient iPod Nano from the basement for playing music in the car.

Yes I had the original Note and the only thing I didn't like was the battery life. I was only getting 2.5 hours of screen time with the stock ROM, 3 hours with custom ROMs. I'm hopeful the updated battery and Jelly Bean will make a big difference. According the PhoneArena review it does.

Yes I had the original Note and the only thing I didn't like was the battery life. I was only getting 2.5 hours of screen time with the stock ROM, 3 hours and custom ROMs. I'm hopeful the updated battery and Jelly Bean will make a big difference. According the PhoneArena review it does.

Annoyingly though, the OneX+ has just been announced, which seems to be really what the OneX should've been at launch. It has a faster CPU (1.7GHz) which probably won't be distinguishable from the original, but importantly, more ROM and an uprated battery compared to the original. I'm thinking you'd be wanting the X+ version rather than the older X design for the next Nexus.

Our only real issue with the Note 2 is that it runs Samsung’s TouchWiz UI on top of Android Jelly Bean. TouchWiz, in case you are unaware, is a clunky mess of useless widgets and bloatware.

So, pros and cons for both devices, although for the large 5.5 screen of the Note 2 I am already willing to switch to Android, so I can probably tolerate TouchWiz, although I loathe it and all other Android skins.

ALso, my car only has an Apple interface (no audio in jack, no USB, just proprietary Apple connector, thank you Audi) so will probably dig up my ancient iPod Nano from the basement for playing music in the car.

Posting from an ipod touch so brief

Check with your dealer how much an aftermarket change / swap to usb costs. I remember when we got our vw, it was possible to get an usb or apple interface. Might be worth the cost?

My impressions and thoughts after a few hours in comparison to my Galaxy Note 1... (Got an international version.)

Build quality seems very good.It's way fast. Really, really fast. A bit because of the memory, the processor and Jelly Bean I imagine.Glad to have Google Now back. Enjoyed playing with it before I sold my Nexus 7.It's a little bigger and heavier but doesn't feel like it.The back is shiny and gaudy (got the silver.) Liked the subdued back on the Note 1 better. It's also a little smooth and slippery.While I usually preferred my wife's iPhone 4s pictures over the Note, the camera appears to be better on the Note 2. Not awesome, but not bad.Now the biggest thing for me.. I don't like 1280x720. I tried it on a few phones, and I really prefer 1280x800. However, it appears everyone is going to 720 so I'd better get used to it.(Edit: It seems like 1280x800 just works so much better for widgets, web pages, some games, etc.)Now on the other side of that coin, I feel the phone is much easier to use one handed now that it isn't as wide. It's also easier to hold when taking pictures.The screen is better. Not much, but it looks a little better than the original Note.

Anyway, that's just my thoughts for now. So far I like it, not sure if it's worth the upgrade since I read the original Note is getting Jelly Bean but I'll give it a fair shot before I make any final decisions.

Man, the back is slippery! I want to replace it ASAP.Early adopters never have cases! I have it in my old Galaxy Note pouch and it's a little loose which I don't like and the top is poking out a bit.I am liking the screen more and more. (Still would like 1280x800, but the screen is gorgeous.)Holy crap, is this thing responsive. I'm installing apps, surfing the web, playing music in the background without a hiccup.Books through the Kindle app look great!The pen is a little nicer. Still plasticky, but more comfortable to use and more substantial.Did I mention the screen is gorgeous? I think it's the best on phone or tablet I've seen barring the Retina iPad.Put it in my phone holder in the car and GPS looks awesome.Wish you could do landscape when navigating the OS without using a different launcher. (EDIT: Someone recommended "Ultimate Rotation Control" from the Play Store.")You can't have scrolling wallpaper??

And probably the last update...

I really miss 1280x800. Seeing books, magazines, ScummVM games being stretched or seeing black bars instead of filling up the screen is driving me a bit bonkers. Of course, that's the way almost all phones are going so I'll give it a few more days.

I think both the screen and the pen. It's the biggest phone (or one of the smallest tablets ) and has an active digitizer.

Personally for me it's the screen. Reading, GPS, surfing the web all in a pocketable device. I've played with the pen a bit and it's cool, but not something I use frequently.

There would be a BIG size and weight difference between carrying this and a 7" tablet. One of the smallest 7" tablets I've used is the Galaxy Tab 7.7 which weighs a bit over 12oz and the dimensions are 7.5 x 4.7 x 0.45. The Galaxy Note 2 is about half that weight and a lot smaller. The Nexus 7 is like 12oz also.

I would consider neither the Nexus 7 or Tab 7.7 really pocketable or something I'd want to carry all day. The Note in a slim leather sleeve fits perfect in my left front pocket.

EDIT: Found an article and video that actually compares the Nexus 7 vs the Note 2.

I had a chance to play with it and it is a really impressive device, an improvement in almost every way over the Note 1 which I have and which is still great. I was planning to wait another year but I am sorely tempted to sell my Note 1 and buy the 2.

The software additions by Samsung are great and the multi-view which was a bit of a surprise is really the icing on the cake. I think this is a landmark Android device in terms of the quality of the manufacturer skin. Wishing a great piece of hardware ran stock Android is a frequent refrain but I doubt there are too many users who would prefer stock to what Samsung has done.

I was playing with on in a store the other day. I actually found myself liking the Note 2 quite a bit. I thought that it would be a monstrosity, but it's really not that much of a leap from my Galaxy Nexus. I don't know if I could live with Touchwiz, but overall it felt like a very nice device.

The version of TouchWiz that shipped with the Note 1 was pretty fantastic, and it appears according to the Engadget review that it much, much better with the Note 2. The inclusion of exFAT support alone makes it worthwhile (or is this a Jelly Bean feature?)

I have just got my Note 2 (international, non LTE, HSDPA+ version - ie., the N7100). I'm not the hard core user that you guys are, so I'll be light on the technical details. To me, the Note II works like a larger GSIII with the S-pen features added.

This is my personal phablet (I also have a iPhone 4S from work). I upgraded/crossgraded from a GSIII. I made a conscious move to the Note II because my eyesight is poor and I couldn't make out smaller details on the GSIII (let alone the 4S). We/wife made a conscious decision not to get a tablet for now, so the Note II does function as a phablet for me.

I am also a keen reader and I like the Kindle app on the larger screen. The Note II screen, in vertical terms, is almost the same size as my Kindle Touch's screen.

Websites like Tech Report which lack a mobile version are extremely readable on the Note III without zooming. Lack of Flash due to Jelly Bean is a pain for web videos so I'll need to read up on how to side load Flash in due course.

I'm not a gamer so I can't report on the phone's gaming capabilities.

I'm still getting used to the Note's default soft keyboard. The default keyboard has some attractive features e.g. a row of numbers at the top. However, I am used to the iPhone style prediction in Swiftkey 3 so there is a bit of a learning curve here. Haven't decided whether to install Swiftkey on this one yet.

BTW I'm in Hong Kong and, while I got a firmware update yesterday, it seems (from my quick playing around) multiple windows have not been implemented on my HK version yet. I had to do the update through KIES as the OTA update function was telling me that I had to "wait in line".

Oh yeah I look like a dork the one or two times per day I actually make a phone call. However, the Note is popular here in HK so I'm not the only dork in town when taking calls

Edit - battery life for my usage (not really power user, really just web browsing/kindle/music during commutes and gmail during the course of the day) is better than the SIII. I reckon I can last (at least?) 2 days per charge.

Well, I'm used to the new format screen and loving the new Note. While I didn't like the resolution at first, after using the phone for a few days I couldn't go back to the old one. I compared the speed to the old Note, and the new one creams it.

Then I used the camera which is a bit better (was hoping for more, same as the S3 if I read correctly) and got used to the screen quality. The new screen technology just looks amazing. Even though I found the Note pretty comfortable, the skinnier size is much easier and more comfortable to hold.

Anyway, it's a really nice device and if you liked the first one I have no problem recommending it. I was interested in the new Galaxy Nexus device but rumor is it's max 16gb at first... and no microsd again. No thanks.

If anyone sees a US seller not gouging for the flipcase or pouch, lemme know! (Or even a good quality pouch from Sena or somewhere similar.)

I just wish they'd release a decent case at the same time as the phone. Same thing happened with the Note, and they are just an odd enough size that I couldn't find anything great that I could re-purpose. I ended up using an ill fitting GPS pouch for a while.

Later on I got a Sena leather pouch for the original Note and it's amazing. I hope they release an updated case.

With the news that the next Nexus, whatever it's called, will be castrated and only have 8 GB of storage, I am now looking at the Galaxy Note II as my next phone. I'll be sad to give up on the stock Android of my Galaxy Nexus but for fuck's sakes Google I need more than 8 GB of fucking storage, maybe in 2-3 years we can keep everything in the fucking cloud.

In order to keep my unlimited data with Verizon, I'll be paying full price for mine too. Hooray for $800+ phones.

The rumoured 5/6" Sonys definitely look interesting, as well as that new HTC J Butterfly (5", 1080p screen). I suspect the Note 3 will be 1080p.

The concern I have with the Sony is its upgradability to future versions of Android (got bitten by Sony on this before). As for the HTC, I believe that it has a non-removable battery so will need to see the feedback on battery life coming in.